Outtakes
by Merakia
Summary: A series of rewritten scenes from my different stories.


**An outtake from Chapter 2 of** ** _Remember Me?_**

 **Scene: Lottie and Edward face off in a hand-to-hand combat challenge.**

 _Dedicated to Raider-K, who inspired me to create a more risky bet. I hope you like this one, Raider-K!_

* * *

Edward watched the woman punch and kick the bag. He noted the various techniques she used. Eventually, she paused for a drink of water and Gatorade. Edward took the opportunity to approach her.

"Hey, I couldn't help noticing the pack in your punches," he called.

She turned, and Edward immediately recognized Lottie Prince. For one thing, he knew her grey eyes, now glinting like iron. She was taller than the average women, but under six feet. Plus, she always had a bit of an athletic build. Also, he met her a thousand times before, and she usually had the same height, build, and eyes.

"Mr…" Lottie began.

"Edward," he responded. "Let's leave off the formalities and be friends."

She cocked her head, considering his offer of friendship. Eventually, she said, "Close acquaintances, but I might consider friendship after a few more hours or days of getting to know you and your sister."

Edward inwardly chuckled. He knew that her fashion style always tended towards functional and conservative. Pet peeves included rude, manipulative men, hypocritical girls, broken promises, and reckless use of time and resources. As for likes and dislikes, it varied slightly to accommodate the century, but they boiled down to being pretty much the same things. Of course, sometimes she did surprise him, and he did forget some details, such as favorite color and cuisine. Shaking off his thoughts, he voiced, "Are you taking classes here?"

"No, I'm an instructor for self-defense."

"Really? What do you do? Kickboxing, jujutsu, krav maga?"

"Let's say that I combined the most practical moves from most styles as my foundation. Of course, different situations call for variances in the basic moves. I teach my own style."

"May I get a private demonstration? I was a Marine, so I find it interesting to see other people's fighting styles."

She smiled with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. She answered with a slight smirk, "Stand on the mat over there. And remember, soldier, I got a lot of pack in my punch." She pointed to a raise platform a few paces away from the punching bags while she pulled out her phone.

Edward waited while Lottie fiddled with the device. Eventually, she set it on a table not far from the platform. Taking her position, she explained she set a timer for five minutes to give them time to prepare before the match.

Edward suddenly realized what Lottie was doing to him. "Wait, I'm fighting you?"

She responded with an innocent smile, "You wanted a demonstration. Care to make a bet?"

"Fine. If I win, I get your phone number and two dates," he answered with a grin.

"And if I win?" she questioned.

"Your choice."

With that, the timer set off. Lottie had the advantage in agility and speed while Edward had more brawn. Both used their wits equally. Edward tried to strategize, but Lottie didn't show him any weakness. As for himself, he wished he had more time to prepare since it has been at least a year since his last duel. Twenty minutes passed. Lottie landed some very good punches and had quite a few tricks. As for Edward, he ended up trying to throw his opponent down to the floor more since he couldn't bring himself to hit a girl, let alone his girl. For a moment, his mind wandered into remembering a past spar with his lady in another life. It was even more dangerous with swords and knives.

Noticing Edward seemed to pay less attention to the fight, Lottie used one of her signature moves. A clever combination of various techniques to bring down an opponent without causing much injury. With a few swift motions, Edward landed on his back with Lottie straddling on top of him. He couldn't say a word since she knocked the air out of him.

"I win," she said with a smile of triumph before getting up. Without another word, she headed towards her stuff, packed up, and left.

Edward lay on the mat for a few minutes, panting for breath. Eventually he rose to his walked towards his things, he marveled over Lottie's skills, which definitely surprised him. He thought she would be more of a dancer, not a methodical machine. As he reflected on her moves, he realized she had the grace of a dancer and the efficiency of a machine. He checked the time. He still had half an hour left. Punching bags no longer seemed interesting after his spar with Lottie. With a sigh, he picked up his stuff and headed for the equipment room.


End file.
